All Forum Posts by: Marie Larcom

How to respond depends on whether you want to keep him as a tenant.  Sounds like you want him gone.  The way I write my leases, they auto-renew on a year to year basis unless there is written communication 60 days before expiration.  Recommend you include that in your leases in the future.  Have you researched the laws in Tennessee on giving noice?  They vary by state.

Are you a property manager?

this tenant has been difficult and started renting our property January 18, 2023. He has been late on payment twice. We never charged him a late fee. When I have tried to communicate with him before he has ignored my text messages about being late on payment.  He finally responded and sent his payment for rent and is current on his rent. His lease is expired and I would prefer to find a new tenant at this point due to his non communication. The last property manager we fired because he was not managing our property like he was supposed to. The two previous tenants damaged our property and stole things from our property and failed to disclose this to us. 

Are you a property manager?

this tenant has been difficult and started renting our property January 18, 2023. He has been late on payment twice. We never charged him a late fee. When I have tried to communicate with him before he has ignored my text messages about being late on payment.  He finally responded and sent his payment for rent and is current on his rent. His lease is expired and I would prefer to find a new tenant at this point due to his non communication. The last property manager we fired because he was not managing our property like he was supposed to. The two previous tenants damaged our property and stole things from our property and failed to disclose this to us. 

File a consumer fraud case with your state attorney general. 

It is online and free. They will follow up. 

Oh, and remember, real estate used car salesmen/women, err “agents” always lie.  At least in my experience. 

@Marie Larcom

I’m sorry you are going through this. In most states, the laws and landlord rights are evident.

I would see if the guidelines, case law, and relevant laws are easily accessible online or if the local governing body can point you in the right direction.

Many states have tight timelines and guidelines on the reports owners are required to provide to tenants if they want to keep their security deposit.

The legal recourse with the property manager is much more nuanced. I would try to establish if the juice is worth the squeeze before you take any legal action. Then I would collect all the facts and clearly lay out your material damages before you consult an attorney.

One word of advice… get heads on beds, I.e., fix up your unit and re-rent asap!

Good luck!